Marina Shows Off Its New Gateway to the City with a Roundabout

After months of Reservation Road being shutdown, Marina is showing off its new look. The five-way roundabout was part of a $2.2 million dollar project, and has some Marina residents singing its praises.

“It’s shocking,” said Robert Smith, who’s lived in Marina for 35 years, “this is especially nice because it didn’t cost the citizens anything.”

Thursday, drivers were still getting used to the roundabout. “Everybody is going to be a little bit hesitant because they don’t know the traffic pattern yet,” Smith observed.

The roundabout isn’t the only thing the $2.2 million bought. It also helped to pay for new sidewalks, streetlights and park benches.

“We are very proud of this project because it’s a gateway for not only Marina but for Monterey County as a whole,” said city engineer Nourdin Khayata.

Most of the money came from businesses that pay growth impact fees. The city uses that money to improve roads, the city said. Before this new project, which started building in May, there were dirt roads for sidewalks and an intersection that didn’t exist.

Now, it has Robert Smith doing something he says he can’t really do at his old age. “I can clap and jump up and down about that,” he said.